Logan Forsythe was working on one hour’s sleep after taking the four-hour redeye flight from Los Angeles, so he tried not to yawn Wednesday morning.

Included to balance out the salaries in Tuesday’s deal that sent Brian Dozier to the Dodgers for a pair of Double-A prospects, and Forsythe didn’t plan on taking a nap before the noon start.

“Got to get ready,” the veteran infielder said.

Like Dozier, Forsythe is a 31-year-old second baseman making $9 million in the final year of his contract. Also like Dozier, he is struggling through a down year that has shrouded his future value with some level of uncertainty.

It helps that Forsythe can play third base, as well, but it may have been the differing arm angles in bouncing around the diamond that led to the right shoulder weakness that landed him on the disabled list for a month in mid-April. He says his shoulder was fine once the inflammation was chased out and that he doesn’t mind providing versatility.

“The past few years I’ve been versatile,” he said. “If I find myself in one position, I’m not going to be mad either way. It’s just kind of nice to get back out there and get more of an everyday routine and get the body back into that. It might take a week or two to get in shape for that.”

Shipped from Tampa Bay to the Dodgers in January 2017 after Dozier talks with the Twins broke down, Forsythe reached base at a .435 clip last October (46 plate appearances) in the Dodgers’ run to Game 7 of the World Series. Drafted by the San Diego Padres 46th overall in 2008 out of the University of Arkansas, he didn’t see his Dodgers time as being pressure-laden despite seeing his production decline in both seasons.

According to Fangraphs.com, his minus-0.6 Wins Above Replacement ranks him in the bottom 15 of major leaguers with at least 200 plate appearances. Batting .207 overall this season, he has seen that figure drop to .148 with a no extra-base hits and a .224 on-base percentage in part-time duty since June 20 (67 plate appearances).

Ehire Adrianza figures to share playing time at second with Forsythe, who had Twins bench coach Derek Shelton as his hitting coach on a 2016 Rays team that is now well represented with the Twins. Forsythe joins former Rays teammates Logan Morrison, Jake Odorizzi and Bobby Wilson on the 25-man roster, with Taylor Motter down in Triple-A.

Forsythe pinch hit in the eighth inning against Brad Hand on Wednesday but hit sharply into a double play.

MAY DAY

Before Trevor May took the mound for his first big-league appearance in nearly two years (Sept. 11, 2016), he made sure to walk down memory lane. A 17-month rehab from Tommy John surgery left the 28-year-old right-hander in a contemplative mood.

Among those he thought about: former Twins assistant athletic trainer and rehab coordinator Lanning Tucker, who left the organization last fall after 26 seasons.

“I walked around the field and kind of had flashbacks to working with Lanning,” May said. “Running in the pool and my knee was sore. Throwing out on a line before everybody else. It all came back. I tried to look around a little bit and say, ‘Hey, pat yourself on the back.’ There have been some dark days.“

May gave up a run in Tuesday’s ninth inning on a pair of soft singles. The plan is to keep him in the bullpen for now.

OVER-DU(K)E

Veteran lefty reliever Zach Duke, traded to Seattle on Monday, made 45 outings for the Twins without allowing a homer. So what happened in his first outing with the Mariners on Tuesday? Houston outfielder Josh Reddick took him deep for a two-run shot in the ninth inning of the Astros’ 5-2 win.

It was just the second homer off Duke by a lefty since Aug. 3, 2015. Cincinnati’s Scott Schebler got him last September.

Should the Mariners reach the postseason, it would end another streak for Duke. His 514 career outings lead all active pitchers yet to appear in the postseason. Steve Cishek of the Chicago Cubs is second at 474 outings.

BRIEFLY

Byron Buxton (strained left wrist) was placed on the DL at Triple-A. … Former Twins closer Glen Perkins called Wednesday’s game on Facebook Live along with former big-league outfielder Jody Gerut and play-by-play man Scott Braun of MLB Network. … Despite Thursday’s off day, the Twins will stay in their normal rotation (minus the traded Lance Lynn) this weekend against the Kansas City Royals. Jake Odorizzi will start Friday, followed by Jose Berrios and Ervin Santana. … The Twins extended their player-development contract with Triple-A Rochester for another two years through 2020. That will mark 18 seasons of the relationship.

As you comment, please be respectful of other commenters and other viewpoints. Our goal with article comments is to provide a space for civil, informative and constructive conversations. We reserve the right to remove any comment we deem to be defamatory, rude, insulting to others, hateful, off-topic or reckless to the community. See our full terms of use here.

More in Minnesota Twins

In a past life, a three-run deficit would've felt nearly insurmountable for the Twins, especially if their ace wasn't feeling it on that particular night. You could pretty much chalk it up as a lost cause, coast through the rest of the game and return to the ballpark the next day with hopes of a better outcome. But as everyone...

Nelson Cruz was not activated from the 10-day injured list Friday despite being eligible to return. But Twins manager Rocco Baldelli doesn't seem to think Cruz, who has been sidelined with a left wrist strain, will be out much longer. "As I sit here right now I’m not prepared to make any definitive statements," Baldelli said. "I would say today...

ANAHEIM, Calif. — It has been nearly 30 years since Tony Oliva joined the Twins for a road trip. And before it ended, he was already planning far, far in advance for his next trip. “If we make it to the playoffs and World Series and they invited me, I would be glad to go,” the Twins legend said. “Any...

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Luis Arraez has done nothing but hit for the entirety of his minor league career. So perhaps his success as a big leaguer shouldn’t come as such a surprise. “I feel really good,” he said. “I think it’s going really well.” "Really well," might even be an understatement. Arraez, who was scheduled to serve as the team's...

ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Twins have run into bad weather all over the country this season, from Baltimore to New York to Minneapolis. Now, the most improbable: Southern California. The Twins and Angels were postponed Wednesday after Angel Stadium was rendered unplayable following an afternoon rainstorm. The teams will conclude the series at 3 p.m. Thursday, which had been a...